The objective of the work proposed to develop an account of how we comprehend words and pictures, to clarify the roles of verbal, image-like, and conceptual representation in recognition, thought, and memory. Earlier, I proposed a model of representation that asserts that a single conceptual code, in addition to separate verbal and imaginal codes, underlies one's understanding of language and pictures. That model was supported by my recent work. An alternative model that posits only two codes, verbal and imaginal, was not supported. The proposed experiments further test the two models and explore the comprhension of visual objects, speech, and written language in bilinguals and in children. Procedures include measurements of the time required in different tasks to comprehend, make inferences about, translate, and retain drawings and written or spoken names of objects. Recall and recognition tests are used to assess memory. Experiments in five areas are planned: I. Comprehension of words and pictures is studied when they are presented in a continuous sequence that mimicks the continuity of normal experience. II. The time course of semantic interaction between two simultaneous items, believed to be necessary for scene analysis and reading, is examined. III. The role f imaginal and verbal modes in long-term memory is studied by measuring recognition and free recall after tasks demanding different levels of processing. Retrieval strategies are compared. IV. A model of bilingual representation is tested. V. The developmental course of understanding pictures, spoken words, and written words is studied in children at different ages. The long-term goal of the proposed research is to develop a model of lexical and pictorial comprehension, as a contribution to a broader theory of linguitic, imaginal, and abstract representation in memory and thought.